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Avery Verse: Australian luxury handbags

3:31:00 PM

I found out about a very interesting luxury fashion brand from Australia and had the chance to interview the owners. After having a look at their website it took me less than a minute to accept the interview and discover many interesting insights of this business which is ran by husband and wife Taylor and Christie Cook. Avery Verse produce eco-friendly handbags of great quality with classy designs that will never go out of style and can save many of your outfits, be it a daily, office, even weekend #outfitoftheday. Taylor and Christie told me about how they came up with such an idea, apart from telling me about their handbags and the women they have in mind when working on their creations. In addition, Avery Verse is not only eco-friendly but also a role model when it comes to businesses: for every sale they make a donation to a charity. A model of entrepreneurship, empowerment and passion for fashion and the working woman, Avery Verse produces Italian tanned leather bags with a high quality finish.

In a world of
"follow the trend", which importance should people give to emerging designers?

Taylor: Emerging designers
typically bring a perspective that is outside of the current culture of the
industry and this is exactly why consumers should be seeking them out. We understand the
importance this has aesthetically on your outfit as well as environmentally in a world of fast fashion. Our aim is
to create a bag which can be worn for
years without feeling out of place because it carries a luxury quality that
taps into our universal joys, as opposed to merely being a trendy piece for
summer.

Christie: I think that new
designers bring a unique perspective to fashion but they also help to keep the
industry fresh and on-it’s-toes. Different designers obviously cater for
different niches of the market but overall, I find that new designers put their heart into their work with such sincerity because
they’re working on something they love and they don’t take this for granted.

How has this business
evolved over the years?

Taylor: Starting a business
has been an ongoing conversation for years between Christie and I. It was not
so much an overnight decision as a long, slowly gestating move from being employees
to entrepreneurs, and specifically working in high end fashion.

Christie: We’re a new business
and still evolving and taking shape in the market, having said this, we saw
great potential in the lack of
consideration being given to sustainability in the fashion industry and
feel creating a great luxury product
that helps address this is a key part of who we are.

Tell me about the
donations that are made with every purchase. How did you come up with the idea?

Taylor: It was born from a
desire to create a business that was more than just a business. It could be a
vehicle for tremendous social and
cultural change if we were willing to make the decisions - hard decisions I
might add - to create something that supports others. For 2017 proceeds from every
sale go towards water.org which is a fantastic organisation, highly rated on
Charity Navigator (a website for investigating charities) that provides water access and sanitation to
developing communities. Their work is particularly empowering for women and
young girls who are typically the ones that must devote large parts of their
day to water collection.

Christie: I just don’t see how
any business can fail to give back to the community. I think thateveryone
privileged with work has an obligation to assist the lives of the less
fortunate
through donating money, time or skills to well-organised charities.

What customer/woman do
you have in mind when working on your creations?

Taylor: The Avery Verse
customer is an empowered woman.
She’s the type to take on a challenge like learning a second language, starting
a side business or in anyway you can imagine is actively seeking to develop her
gifts and live a fulfilled life.

I am glad I discovered this brand, since I am more and more interested in emerging designers- sure we all love Fendi bags and Loewe scarfs but who doesn’t agree with me? Stand out wearing something unique and helping new designers out! For further information about Avery Verse please visit the following links: